铁面无私

鐵面無私

tiěmiàn-wúsī

idiom #56,203

Meanings

1 strictly impartial and incorruptible
2 iron-faced and showing no favoritism

Characters

private; personal bias

Examples

HSK 7-9

这位法官铁面无私，连亲戚犯法也照罚不误。

Zhè wèi fǎguān tiěmiàn-wúsī, lián qīnqi fànfǎ yě zhào fá bù wù.

This judge is strictly impartial - even relatives who break the law are punished.

HSK 7-9

包青天铁面无私的形象深入人心。

Bāo Qīngtiān tiěmiàn-wúsī de xíngxiàng shēnrù-rénxīn.

Bao Qingtian's image of iron impartiality is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

HSK 7-9

当领导就要铁面无私，不能徇私情。

Dāng lǐngdǎo jiù yào tiěmiàn-wúsī, bùnéng xùn sīqíng.

Being a leader requires strict impartiality - no playing favorites.

Tips

history

Found in 《红楼梦》 Chapter 45: 'we need you as poetry-club inspector; you must be iron-faced and impartial.' The phrase became especially associated with Song-dynasty judge Bao Zheng (包拯).

culture

Bao Zheng - Judge Bao / 包青天 - is the archetypal 铁面无私 figure in Chinese culture, traditionally depicted with a black face. Countless operas, novels, and TV dramas portray him punishing corrupt officials regardless of rank or family ties.

Stroke Order

铁 tiě

面 miàn

无 wú

私 sī